- Sep 27, 2013
- 35
- 2
- 18,530
I am trying to be very clear about the issue and what I have done to fix it. Pardon the length, but you can't describe a problem without using words.
I want to be able to play my files in whatever app I chose at the moment. This used to be fine, Then I installed Opera. Since then I have lost more and more choices and now all I have are ChromeCast and Opera and things that will open videos (which I did not tell it to do).
I found this problem when I was no longer able to open medial files in anything but Chromecast and Opera. I did not *ever* select a default app for media/video/audio. Yet my media files keep being associated with only Chromecast and Opera (why a browser). I did not do this. It makes no sense. Why would I want Opera to be associated with my mp4 collection?
As far as I an tell, the android OS has serious issues with properly associating file types with applications. This is highly unstable and often the changes one makes disappear for no appreciable reason. For instance, for some unknown reason I can no longer view media files in the player of my choice. I cannot get rid of the "Default Application" and have my change remain in place.
So I tried changing this in SETTINGS, and I found a complication.
The OPERA browser (which I like a lot) is never really not running. It leaves a service of some sort running in the background. This must be the case because when you try to clear it as a DEFAULT APP you cannot becasue the button is dimmed.
First you must (SETTINGS->APPLICATIONS-Set Default) tell it to stop the application in order to clear the default app. Unless you kill that ah heck that must be running in the background, the button for Clear Default remains dimmed and unusable.
So I tried various apps to make the problem go away and found more issues.
To no longer associate Opera as the default for my video & audio files I had to :
* go into SETTINGS->APPLICATIONS-Set Default
* select OPERA .
* the right button lets you kill the application (and it's turds) -- do that
* click the button to clear Default App
* now you can change things and have them actually change ... briefly
I think that OPERA is forcibly re-associating files types with itself, when the service respawns. U got that idea becasue of the following.
I *did* fix the odd "videos associated only with Opera and Chromecast" problem briefly. I used "Set Default", stopped the background OPERA crap, and told it not to be a default app for anything. Then (to be sure) I also uninstalled and reinstalled VLC (just in case).
I then opened an MP4 from my network. I got a dialog box of choices for opening the file, but for some reason it only knew about VLC and CHROMECAST (I have other video players and made no changes to their settings).
** THE FILE PLAYED **
And then I closed it. And then I opened it again. When I opened it again the only listings of applications were (again) Opera and and Chromecast. I did nothing to cause that to happen.
I then looked at my application setting for Opera (in SETTINGS->APPLICATIONS) and it showed NO ASSOCIATIONS/NO DEFAULT. SO why does I think I want to use Opera or Chromecast and why did it forget about all my other media playing apps?
** THE REALLY ODD PART **
I did try using various apps to fix this. Every one of them claims that OPERA is set as a DEFAULT APP, but "SETTINGS->APPLICATIONS" shows no default.
The operating system disagrees with itself. The 3rd party apps can all detect that Opera was again a Default app but SETTINGS could not.
How?
I repeated the entire process with another video file (both locally and over the network) and it did that same stupid thing again. I keep winding up with only Opera and Chromecast as choices for playing media files and it will not stay gone.
** DAMN **
The big issue is that there is no way in the Android OS to simply tell the OS that a given file can be opened by "these 5 apps". Nope. that would be TOO advanced... like way out in the future of computing in a year like 1988.
Anyway there is no way to simply tell the OS to associate a given file type (or mime type if you prefer) with an application (or a group of them). You can't. You also cannot tell the OS that a given application (doing this from the application end of the the issue) is associated with a group of mime types. Nope. That would make the OS functional.
** WHY ASK HERE ***
Because it is a droid and unlike other OSs all through the era of computers, it does not have real documentation (except what the users have created). The Android OS is essentially one small step away from being "abandonware" when it comes to support, with all functional support and documentation created and provided by the Android user base. Who does that? Likewise, the vast majority of droid apps have no "help file", no online help (FAQs and forums), no web site URL or email address listed on the PLAY store. Nope. In the droid world almost all apps are "abandonware" the moment they exist (just like the OS).
I hate the lack of support for Android. Who creates an OS and then makes the user base create their own support?
** WHAT DO I DO NOW **
So now, in order to watch an mp4, I have to either run VLC (nad only eve use that player as most don;t have a menu built into them) and open the file through the VLC menu (inconvenien).
Chocie two is - for every file I want to see/hear I must (AGAIN) :
* go into SETTINGS->APPLICATIONS-Set Default
* select OPERA .
* the right button lets you kill the application (and it's turds) -- do that
* click the button to clear Default App
* now you can change things and have them actually change ... briefly
* uninstall and reinstall VLC
* use explorer to open the file (you will only see chromecast and VLC as choices, god knows why, but oh well)
And then I can watch ONE video. After I close VLC the OS will act as if I had set a Default App even if that fact only lists in 3rd part applications;
Does anyone know of a more functional way to fix this, or should I just buy an apple tablet and hope somebody makes a REAL OS for the droid some day?
Your help would be appreciated.
I want to be able to play my files in whatever app I chose at the moment. This used to be fine, Then I installed Opera. Since then I have lost more and more choices and now all I have are ChromeCast and Opera and things that will open videos (which I did not tell it to do).
I found this problem when I was no longer able to open medial files in anything but Chromecast and Opera. I did not *ever* select a default app for media/video/audio. Yet my media files keep being associated with only Chromecast and Opera (why a browser). I did not do this. It makes no sense. Why would I want Opera to be associated with my mp4 collection?
As far as I an tell, the android OS has serious issues with properly associating file types with applications. This is highly unstable and often the changes one makes disappear for no appreciable reason. For instance, for some unknown reason I can no longer view media files in the player of my choice. I cannot get rid of the "Default Application" and have my change remain in place.
So I tried changing this in SETTINGS, and I found a complication.
The OPERA browser (which I like a lot) is never really not running. It leaves a service of some sort running in the background. This must be the case because when you try to clear it as a DEFAULT APP you cannot becasue the button is dimmed.
First you must (SETTINGS->APPLICATIONS-Set Default) tell it to stop the application in order to clear the default app. Unless you kill that ah heck that must be running in the background, the button for Clear Default remains dimmed and unusable.
So I tried various apps to make the problem go away and found more issues.
To no longer associate Opera as the default for my video & audio files I had to :
* go into SETTINGS->APPLICATIONS-Set Default
* select OPERA .
* the right button lets you kill the application (and it's turds) -- do that
* click the button to clear Default App
* now you can change things and have them actually change ... briefly
I think that OPERA is forcibly re-associating files types with itself, when the service respawns. U got that idea becasue of the following.
I *did* fix the odd "videos associated only with Opera and Chromecast" problem briefly. I used "Set Default", stopped the background OPERA crap, and told it not to be a default app for anything. Then (to be sure) I also uninstalled and reinstalled VLC (just in case).
I then opened an MP4 from my network. I got a dialog box of choices for opening the file, but for some reason it only knew about VLC and CHROMECAST (I have other video players and made no changes to their settings).
** THE FILE PLAYED **
And then I closed it. And then I opened it again. When I opened it again the only listings of applications were (again) Opera and and Chromecast. I did nothing to cause that to happen.
I then looked at my application setting for Opera (in SETTINGS->APPLICATIONS) and it showed NO ASSOCIATIONS/NO DEFAULT. SO why does I think I want to use Opera or Chromecast and why did it forget about all my other media playing apps?
** THE REALLY ODD PART **
I did try using various apps to fix this. Every one of them claims that OPERA is set as a DEFAULT APP, but "SETTINGS->APPLICATIONS" shows no default.
The operating system disagrees with itself. The 3rd party apps can all detect that Opera was again a Default app but SETTINGS could not.
How?
I repeated the entire process with another video file (both locally and over the network) and it did that same stupid thing again. I keep winding up with only Opera and Chromecast as choices for playing media files and it will not stay gone.
** DAMN **
The big issue is that there is no way in the Android OS to simply tell the OS that a given file can be opened by "these 5 apps". Nope. that would be TOO advanced... like way out in the future of computing in a year like 1988.
Anyway there is no way to simply tell the OS to associate a given file type (or mime type if you prefer) with an application (or a group of them). You can't. You also cannot tell the OS that a given application (doing this from the application end of the the issue) is associated with a group of mime types. Nope. That would make the OS functional.
** WHY ASK HERE ***
Because it is a droid and unlike other OSs all through the era of computers, it does not have real documentation (except what the users have created). The Android OS is essentially one small step away from being "abandonware" when it comes to support, with all functional support and documentation created and provided by the Android user base. Who does that? Likewise, the vast majority of droid apps have no "help file", no online help (FAQs and forums), no web site URL or email address listed on the PLAY store. Nope. In the droid world almost all apps are "abandonware" the moment they exist (just like the OS).
I hate the lack of support for Android. Who creates an OS and then makes the user base create their own support?
** WHAT DO I DO NOW **
So now, in order to watch an mp4, I have to either run VLC (nad only eve use that player as most don;t have a menu built into them) and open the file through the VLC menu (inconvenien).
Chocie two is - for every file I want to see/hear I must (AGAIN) :
* go into SETTINGS->APPLICATIONS-Set Default
* select OPERA .
* the right button lets you kill the application (and it's turds) -- do that
* click the button to clear Default App
* now you can change things and have them actually change ... briefly
* uninstall and reinstall VLC
* use explorer to open the file (you will only see chromecast and VLC as choices, god knows why, but oh well)
And then I can watch ONE video. After I close VLC the OS will act as if I had set a Default App even if that fact only lists in 3rd part applications;
Does anyone know of a more functional way to fix this, or should I just buy an apple tablet and hope somebody makes a REAL OS for the droid some day?
Your help would be appreciated.
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